Fire Safety Scenario!Based on the ideas of Rube Goldberg
Unlike the previous scenarios, this is a technical problem-solving challenge that will require you to design and/or build your solution. You may work in teams with others or solicit help from an adult.
Before beginning, please go by Mrs. Shaw's room to collect your tea-light candle and sign an agreement regarding its safe and correct use.
Rube Goldberg (1883-1970), a graduate of University of California Berkley in engineering, was a Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist, sculptor, and author. He became famous for designing hilarious contraptions that perform very simple tasks. Here is an example of one of his cartoons - a machine to kill moths:
Thus, your challenge is to design and/or build a Rube Goldberg Machine that will put out a fire.
Rules:
You must...
Put out (extinguish) the flame of a tealight candle
Include at least 4 steps (different actions or mechanisms) in your device.
Build the entire device (including the candle) within a 24" x 24" area
Build the device using "found" or recyclable objects
Extinguish the flame within 1 minute of starting the process in motion.
Provide evidence that the machine worked through video, photos, presentation, and/or adult eye-witnesses
You may...
Include more than 4 steps. (Greater credit is given for greater complexity or more actions/steps.)
Begin the process by interacting with the device. For example, you may start the acton by: dropping a marble down a toilet paper tube that hits a row of dominos that falls on thread attached to a needle which then slides down the thread and pops a water balloon that puts out the flame.
Restart the process if it does not work as planned. (You will have 3 opportunities to prove your device works.)
Research simple machines, Rube Goldberg, and other helpful sites.
Ask adults for outside help
You may not...
Interact with the machine in any way except to start the process in motion. Once the action begins, you may not interrupt the flow, except as a safety precaution.
Remove the tealight from its protective, metal case
Use animals (experimentally or otherwise) as a part of the device
Use explosive, excesively sharp, illegal, incendiary, and/or other dangerous, harmful, and inappropriate materials, nor may you use approved materials inappropriately
Purchase (spend significant money) on any part of the device
Cause the flame to spread or in any way harm persons, animals, or materials
Plagiarize or steal ideas, concepts, designs, photos, videos, etc. from others
Fire Safety Scenario!Based on the ideas of Rube GoldbergUnlike the previous scenarios, this is a technical problem-solving challenge that will require you to design and/or build your solution. You may work in teams with others or solicit help from an adult.
Before beginning, please go by Mrs. Shaw's room to collect your tea-light candle and sign an agreement regarding its safe and correct use.
Rube Goldberg (1883-1970), a graduate of University of California Berkley in engineering, was a Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist, sculptor, and author. He became famous for designing hilarious contraptions that perform very simple tasks. Here is an example of one of his cartoons - a machine to kill moths:
You may wish to visit this web site to find out more about Rube Goldberg and his famous contraptions:http://www.rubegoldberg.com/?page=home
Thus, your challenge is to design and/or build a Rube Goldberg Machine that will put out a fire.
Rules:
You must...
- Put out (extinguish) the flame of a tealight candle
- Include at least 4 steps (different actions or mechanisms) in your device.
- Build the entire device (including the candle) within a 24" x 24" area
- Build the device using "found" or recyclable objects
- Extinguish the flame within 1 minute of starting the process in motion.
- Provide evidence that the machine worked through video, photos, presentation, and/or adult eye-witnesses
You may...- Include more than 4 steps. (Greater credit is given for greater complexity or more actions/steps.)
- Begin the process by interacting with the device. For example, you may start the acton by: dropping a marble down a toilet paper tube that hits a row of dominos that falls on thread attached to a needle which then slides down the thread and pops a water balloon that puts out the flame.
- Restart the process if it does not work as planned. (You will have 3 opportunities to prove your device works.)
- Research simple machines, Rube Goldberg, and other helpful sites.
- Ask adults for outside help
You may not...